Figure 1.--

The conventional wisdom is that Germany did not need them at the beginning of the War and was afaid to use them once the Allies gained air supremecy, especially air superority over the Reich. The military in Germany was issued gas masks. The Luftwaffe's superority at the beginning of the War made bombing attacks of less concern to civilians. Göring assured the public that it was not possible for the Allies to bomb Berlin. Fear of reprisal is the reason most authors suggest that Germany did not employ chemical weapons. We do not disagree that this was an important factor. But we do not think that it was the only factor. Hitler was at the center of the German war effort. He made all impotant decesions on strategy and resource allocation. Aithors who discuss why "Germany" did not use chemical weapons, miss the point. It was not a collective or entirely rational decesion. Had it been so, Germany would have never gone to war in the first place. The use of chemical weapons was one of many decesions thsat Hitler and Hitler alone made. And Hitler decided not to use them. He received various assessments such as the leathality of the weapons and the capaity of the Soviets and Western Allies. The Abwehr appears to have incorecrly assessed the German lead and the capabilities of the Allies. This may have been a factor in the Hitler's decession. Advisers told him that the Allies may have also developed these agents or could quickly do so. And Hitler by this stage of the War had loss confidence in Göring and his Luftwaffe. But it simply is not know why Hitler decided not to use these deadly agents. We suspect that fear of rerisal was not the only reason. There is no proof, but most historians addressing this topic point to Hitler's own World War I experience of being gassed. This certainly must have been a factor. But commonly ignored is the fact that chemical weapons were first developed by a noted Jewish scientist. Thus Hitler seems to have seen chemical weapons as an immoral or perhaps dishonorable weapon. They sullied what Hitler saw as the supreme test of nationhood--war. While we have come to hate war, as Chanbelain found to Briain's misfortune, Hitler did not. He wanted a war in which he could demonstrate his 'phenomenal' capacity as the greatest war lord in German history. And to Hitler, gas weapons would have sullied his great endevor. There is no way this can be proved, but we believed strongly that the decesion not to use chemical weapons can only be found it the inner reaches of Hitler's dark mind which was consumed with the hatred of all things Jewish. Many historians miss the centrality of the Jews in Hitler's thinking. We know, however, that chemical weapons never entirely disappeared from his thinking, especially as his War began to go wrong. And there were advocates for using the newly develooed gas weapons. One of the strongest was Dr. Robert Ley, Reich Labor Leader. Ley as the Soviets and Allies closed in on the Reich and correctly concluding tghat his days were mumbered, encouraged Hitler to use poison gas against the Soviets on the Eastern Front. Ley was a chemist and had worked for I.G. Farben. He thus knew about the extremely lethal chemical weapons that had been developed. Speer who Ley worked closely with on labor issues relates, Ley "took me along in his special railroad car to a meeting in Sonthofen held in the autumn of 1944. As usual, our conversation took place over glasses of strong wine. His increased stammering betrayed his agitation. 'You know we have this new poison gas - I've heard about it. The Führer must do it. He must use it. Now he has to do it!' Hitler, to be sure, had always rejected gas warfare; but now he hinted at a situation conference in headquarters that the use of gas might stop the advance of Soviet troops. He went on with vague speculations that the West would accept gas warfare against the East because at this stage of the war the British and American governments had an interest in stopping the Russian advance. When no one at the situation conference spoke up in agreement, Hitler did not return to the subject." [Speer, p. 417.]

Conventional Wisdom

The conventional wisdom is that Germany did not need them at the beginning of the War and was afaid to use them once the Allies gained air supremecy, especially air superority over the Reich. The military in Germany was issued gas masks. The Luftwaffe's superority at the beginning of the War made bombing attacks of less concern to civilians. Göring assured the public that it was not possible for the Allies to bomb Berlin. Fear of reprisal is the reason most authors suggest that Germany did not employ chemical weapons. We do not disagree that this was an important factor. But we do not think that it was the only factor. We especially thaink that the focus on rationality is misplaced.

Personal Decision

Hitler was at the center of the German war effort. He made all impotant decesions on strategy and resource allocation. Aithors who discuss why "Germany" did not use chemical weapons, miss the point. It was not a collective or entirely rational decesion. Had it been so, Germany would have never gone to war in the first place. The use of chemical weapons was one of many decesions thsat Hitler and Hitler alone made. And Hitler decided not to use them.

Military and Inteligence Assessment

Hitler received various assessments such as the leathality of the weapons and the capaity of the Soviets and Western Allies. Anthother major issue was effective delivery systems. The Abwehr appears to have incorecrly assessed the German lead and the capabilities of the Allies. This may have been a factor in the Hitler's decession. Advisers told him that the Allies may have also developed these agents or could quickly do so. And Hitler by this stage of the War had loss confidence in Göring and his Luftwaffe.

Other Advisers

We know, however, that chemical weapons never entirely disappeared from his thinking, especially as his War began to go wrong. And there were advocates for using the newly develooed gas weapons. One of the strongest was Dr. Robert Ley, Reich Labor Leader. Ley as the Soviets and Allies closed in on the Reich and correctly concluding tghat his days were mumbered, encouraged Hitler to use poison gas against the Soviets on the Eastern Front. Ley was a chemist and had worked for I.G. Farben. He thus knew about the extremely lethal chemical weapons that had been developed. Speer who Ley worked closely with on labor issues relates, Ley "took me along in his special railroad car to a meeting in Sonthofen held in the autumn of 1944. As usual, our conversation took place over glasses of strong wine. His increased stammering betrayed his agitation. 'You know we have this new poison gas - I've heard about it. The Führer must do it. He must use it. Now he has to do it!' Hitler, to be sure, had always rejected gas warfare; but now he hinted at a situation conference in headquarters that the use of gas might stop the advance of Soviet troops. He went on with vague speculations that the West would accept gas warfare against the East because at this stage of the war the British and American governments had an interest in stopping the Russian advance. When no one at the situation conference spoke up in agreement, Hitler did not return to the subject." [Speer, p. 417.]

Our Assessment

It simply is not know why Hitler decided not to use the deadly agents developed by German chemists. We know the advise he got. We do not know what determined his decission. We suspect that fear of reprisal was not the only reason. There is no proof, but most historians addressing this topic point to Hitler's own World War I experience of being gassed. This certainly must have been a factor. But commonly ignored is the fact that chemical weapons in World War I were first developed by a noted Jewish scientist. Thus Hitler seems to have seen chemical weapons as an immoral or perhaps dushonorable weapon. They sullied what Hitler saw as the supreme test of nationhood--war. While we have come to hate war, as Chanbelain found to Briain's misfortune, Hitler did not. He wanted a war in which he could demonstrate his 'phenomenal' capacity as the greatest war lord in German history. And to Hitler, gas weapons would have sullied his great endevor. There is no way this can be proved, but we believed strongly that the decesion not to use chemical weapons can only be found it the inner reaches of Hitler's dark mind which was consumed with the hatred of all things Jewish. Many historians miss the centrality of the Jews in Hitler's thinking. Areader writes, "As for Hitler's obsession with hating anything Jewish I agree that could have been a very strong factor in his twisted logic, but then ironically he allowed the use of a type of gas for mass killings in some of the death camps." As for the deat camps, I doubt if any reservations Hitler may have had about battlefield use extended to how Jews were killed. Also as far as I know, one one has ever found any informtion revealing how much he knew about how Jews were killed. I don't think there is any doubt that he ordered the killing, but his knowledge of the details or interest in the process is as far as I know unknown. Hitler like movies. And we know that films such as the hanging of the July Bomb Plot plotters were shoen to him. We do not know if Holocaust associated fims were shown sych as Ghetto life films are death camp operations. Perhaps he was interested, perhaps he wanted to distance himself from direct involvement as much as possible. There is, for example, no signed document ordering the Holocaust. I would be very interested in anything you know along these lines.

Reported Use

There are scatered reports concerning the use of chemical weapons on the Eastern Front. The most persistent is the use of poison gas at Adzhimuski Quarry in the crimea (1942). Reports suggest that the Germans used poison gas on Soviet survivors of the Battle of Kerch on the eastern Crimean peninsula. After the Battle (mid-May 1942), some 3,000 Red Army soldiers and civilians that the Soviets were unabke to evacuate by sea, retreated to caves and tunnels in the Adzhimuskai quarry. They held out there for 3 months. The frustrated Germjans finally released poison gas into the tunnels, killing nearly all the remaining holdouts.

Sources

Speer. Albert. Inside the Third Reich: Memoirs (1970). Speer wrote his book after he was completed his sentence and was released from Spandau Prison. The book is often self serving and where he comnents in his personal role has to be taken with considerable skepticism. His comments about others, however, we think are often very accurate.

Created: 10:42 PM 6/2/2013
Last updated: 1:35 PM 6/14/2013